The Grammy Awards were much different last night in comparison to previous years. For one, there were strict COVID-19 regulations to ensure that everyone involved in the show was kept safe. However, there was also a larger focus than most years on social issues, specifically representation for Black artists who’ve often been underrepresented and snubbed at major awards like the Grammys.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Lil Baby’s performance at the Grammys last night was arguably the most talked about. The jarring visuals depicting police brutality against African-Americans opened up his set before delving into a grandiose performance of “The Bigger Picture.” The rapper was assisted by Killer Mike who rapped a portion of Run The Jewels’ “walking in the snow.” Activist Tamika Mallory also appeared during Baby’s performance with a powerful message calling on Joe Biden to lead the change.
Not everyone was happy with the performance, specifically, the mother of Tamir Rice, Samaria, who called out Tamika in a post shared to her Facebook page, Complex reports. Samaria Rice shared a video of Baby’s performance, writing, “Look at this clout chaser[.] Did she lose something in this fight[?] I don’t think so. That’s the problem[.] They take us for a joke[.] That’s why we never have justice ’cause of shit like this.” She added in another post, “FUCK A GRAMMY WHEN MY SON IS DEAD. FUCK ALL PIGS COPS.”
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
In a follow-up post, she elaborated on her criticism of Tamika Mallory, as well as civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Lee Merrick. “[Tamika] and the crew you bitches chasing clout along with, Sonney, Crump, and Lee… Y’all have literally fuck out fight up I hope not another family soul used yall to represent them.”
Following the performance, Lil Baby shared a statement via press release explaining the significance of his performance and why it meant more to him than actually being nominated for an award.
“My performance is important to me and I had to make sure it was right. Nominations aside, actually performing ‘The Bigger Picture’ means the most to me. I paint pictures with my songs and wanted the performance to bring that picture to life. Just like with the song, this performance had to reflect the real. No sugar-coating. My family, my fans and my city know who I do this for,” he said.